Ice hockey-Finnish player fined in court for violent play

December 31, 2012|Reuters

HELSINKI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Finnish hockey player Semir Ben-Amor was ordered by a district court to pay a fine of 3,540 euros ($4,700) for knocking an opponent unconscious during a European Trophy game between the top two Helsinki teams.

The court said Jokerit forward Ben-Amor in September tackled HIFK's Ville Peltonen, a former NHL player, from behind with his elbow and kept hitting Peltonen with his bare hands as he lay on the ice.

Ben-Amor, in a letter to the court, confessed to his role in the incident. He was earlier suspended by the Finnish SM-liiga for 18 games and the league also handed out smaller punishments to both teams and their coaches following the heated game.

"The whole situation was only my fault and it was caused by my overreaction during the game. I have a son who plays hockey himself in a junior team of Jokerit, and I can't justify what I did in any way to him," Ben-Amor told the court, according to Finnish media.